[1] She told Erin McWhirter of The Courier-Mail "I like the idea of the regular cast and the reasons dramas have failed is because they haven't assembled a group of well-known people.
"[3]Hazlehurst admitted that she was intrigued by the chance to play a strong female character, who was in an executive position within the police force and had the respect of her colleagues.
"[5] In February 2009, Hazlehurst reflected on her character's journey, saying "Waverley's life and career have taken some extreme twists and unexpected turns over the last two seasons, and playing her has been a terrific challenge and a huge learning curve.
Hazlehurst thought Billy's revenge plan was "perfectly executed" and said "he's a very disturbed but intelligent man who's established a near foolproof scheme to bring Bernice undone.
[7] Ahead of the third season airing in August 2009, Hazlehurst said that her character would not be returning to work straightaway, commenting "She is, understandably, taking some time off.
"[9] He also said that the character would face some professional challenges, and that the audience would see more of the upper ranks, including Bernice, Terry Jarvis (David Field) and Stanley Wolfe (Shane Bourne).
During the season, Bernice, now promoted to Commander, had to tell the homicide team that Attorney General Michael Lombardi (Marcus Graham) had ordered their disbandment.
James Joyce of the Canberra Times observed "Commander Bernice commiserated in her own headmistress way, but stopped short of a soothing rendition of The Ning Nang Nong.
She has a teenage son, Josh, and is close friends with Detective Senior Sergeant Stanley Wolfe and Assistant Commissioner Bill Mulholland (John McTernan).
[6] The Sunshine Coast Daily's Nathanael Cooper praised Hazlehurst in the role, saying she "delivered such a compelling performance in the second season that she has managed to establish herself as one of the most popular actresses on television.
"[12] In his 2010 feature on the top Australian television actresses, the Herald Sun's Colin Vickery said Hazlehurst, along with Catherine McClements, Lisa McCune, Kate Ritchie, and Georgie Parker "show that women can shine in tough action and crime dramas.